


Impact

by FawkesFire13



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:14:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25456807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawkesFire13/pseuds/FawkesFire13
Summary: One of my favorite scenes from Midnight Poppy Land. I hope you all enjoy this too.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109





	Impact

**Author's Note:**

> Just a for fun, from Tora’s POV. 
> 
> Shout out to my Ladies in the MPL RAMBLING chat. You ladies give me life!
> 
> As always, all characters belong to Lilydusk!

Tora crossed the street, carrying the plastic bag of food. Quick take out stir fry, rice and a strawberry juice. 

Fuck, he was tired. At least he wasn’t babysitting the Princess tonight. The shower helped, and the change of clothes. He sighed and waited for the signal to turn so he could walk across the street. 

Gyu was talking to him on the phone. The guy seemed tired, but he was thankful someone he could trust was working on this for him.

“How much more time do ya need to run that background check?” He asked, hardly bothering to look up as he crossed the street. Fuck, he was exhausted. 

Gyu laughed: 

“Why not just talk to her?” His friend asked. Tora refrained from rolling his eyes. Yeah, that would go over well....

Well, under normal circumstances it might. But he had snapped a picture of that cute little thing as her top ripped open and he got more than a eyeful of her very appealing body.

“Chat her up and ask? Should I be flattered that ya think so highly of my charm?” He asked and suppressed a yawn.

“You sound beat, Big Bro. You nearby? I can get ya some food real quick if you stop by.” Gyu was a good friend, Tora reflected, stepping back onto the other side of the street. Genuinely good guy. He didn’t have many of those in his life. 

“No. I drove to some random neighborhood to get food.” He answered. If he remembered right Gyu was working at some all night coffee shop tonight anyway. He just wanted to eat and go to bed. “The one with a ton of cats......”

He stopped, absolutely positive he was seeing things. He turned his head, eyes focusing on a singular tree.

A small figure was climbing a very old, very fragile looking tree.

No....

His hoodie.

No fucking way.....

He stepped slightly off the sidewalk and stared.

“Ya gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.....” he muttered to himself.

It was her. That tiny little doll who had the notebook.... she was still wearing his hoodie from earlier today. She was reaching for a little white cat. 

What the hell was she thinking?! His eyes scanned the tree, as he did so he heard a crack. 

That tree was way too old to be climbed. She had the cat now, clutched tightly to her, and it seemed like she was only just aware of how brittle the tree was. If she wasn’t so damn small she probably would have been lying on her ass a few seconds ago.

Another crack.

The branch was giving way.

Fuck.

FUCK!

He felt the plastic bag slip from his fingers, and his phone thrust into his back pocket. Then he was running. Teeth grit together as his jaw tightened. 

FUCK! 

The branch gave way and he heard it pop. She let out a small cry, his legs bracing as he threw his arms out under her. This was going to fucking hurt.

The shock of impact.

She fell into his arms.

Hard.

Tora knew his own strength. She didn’t weigh much, not to him anyway. Under normal circumstances he would be able to lift her easily. But lifting something and having something dropped into your arms were two very different things.

It also was a very different thing catching an object, and not a person one wanted to catch carefully so they weren’t harmed. He hadn’t had even a moment to really position himself, but he knew to flex slightly with the impact, as she dropped into his embrace he gripped tightly and allowed momentum to carry them both down. 

Tora leaned back, taking most of the weight onto his back and butt as he hit the ground, and laid there, catching his breath in the patchy, dew wet grass under the tree.

Fuck.

Fucking ouch.

Shit that hurt.

The air had been knocked from his lungs and he felt that ache. His back and knees sent signals of protest to his head. Yep. That wasn’t smooth. Not exactly movie hero worthy landing either.

The girl wasn’t moving, and for the briefest of gut twisting moments he was scared she had hit her head. 

The white cat let out a loud hiss and strutted away from them, tail up, the very picture of annoyance.

Tora sighed and closed his arms around her tighter for just a moment, and felt her breathing. 

She seemed okay. Maybe just....shocked? He let one arm drop to his side and then the other, and took a single breath in, deep, then exhaled loudly. 

Okay, she was tiny, but she was also sitting mostly over his chest right now and he actually wanted a bit more oxygen than she was letting in.

Tora felt her stir. She nuzzled her face against his chest. Almost as if she felt.....safe.....with him?

He listened to her mumble softly to herself, saying something about being warm and snug. That it was a stressful dream. Must be nice to have such a safe view of the world.  
He smirked a bit, and propped himself up using his arms to get into a sitting up position.

Damnit. She was adorable. But he needed her off him, and he had to think quickly.

“You're not dreaming.” He said, body tensing, knowing she would react quickly. “Get up, I don’t have all night.”

A lie. He would love to stay like this all night. 

Just, not on the wet grass, with a tree root poking into his tailbone and bits of leaves in his hair. 

And she had the notebook. 

She was still a unknown in this equation. Her tiny body tensed above him, arms stiffened. She was going to move quickly. 

He was not disappointed.

“OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!” She shouted, sitting up fast. Tora was faster, he flung his body into motion crouching as she threw herself off him and waited the half second it took her her to turn to face him. “DID I HURT-“

He got a glimpse of her wide, sparkling brown eyes before his hand shot out quickly, blocking her view before she got a look at him. She would recognize him, he had no doubt, and he couldn’t afford that right now.

“HEY!” Her confused cry sounded cute in his ears and he almost regretted doing this to her. His left hand reached for the hood and yanked it over her eyes, and he watched her face turn indignant as he did so, clearly outraged this was happening, as his right hand found the ties and looped them quickly in a knot and he gave a tug, effectively blinding her.

Tora suppressed a chuckle with great difficulty. She had stood, shakily and he watched her wobble just slightly, her hands coming up to fumble with the hoodie’s ties.

For a few moments he just observed her, the sight of her wearing his hoodie was doing some weird shit to his emotions right now. 

Really weird shit. 

A wave of protectiveness washed over him unexpectedly and he had to stomp it down.

Careful.

Watch. 

“What are you doing?” She asked, her voice came out, hesitant, unsure. Well, he couldn’t blame her. 

“Hey mister?” She threw her arms out and he watched her, exasperated. She really had no sense of self preservation. Not a ounce of it in her entire body. “Could you untie this knot? Where are you? I can’t see a thing!” She took two steps towards the lamppost and he reached out hastily, taking both of her wrists in his hands. She was going to wander right into fucking traffic, wasn’t she? 

“Not that direction.” He told her and turned her gently to face him. He crouched down, putting their faces level with each other. “Stop moving around. I’m right here.” Tora added, tugging her carefully towards him. She took a single step his direction and stopped.

“....Kay.” Her hands clenched, coming up just slightly, defensively. “Are you trying to mug me? Because I’m dead broke right now.”

Tora blinked, surprised. 

“Why would I wanna mug someone like you?” He asked her, genuinely confused. He didn’t walk around attacking innocent people for cash. He had cash. Sometimes more than he knew what to do with. Well, in fairness he had just blindfolded her with no explanation. Well....

“I can’t show you my face because....” he stopped. He could say ‘because I’m the creep that got a picture of you nearly topless on the train’, that wouldn’t go over well and he couldn’t blame her. 

Fuck.

The fuck would he say?

What would she believe?

Well, she seemed......innocent enough.

“I’m a celebrity.” 

Why the fuck did he just say that?

“WHAT? FOR REAL?” Her voice pitched just a little higher than normal. He grinned.

“Yeah.”

“WOAH, NO WAY!”

Too innocent.

Far too innocent.

He peered at her closely. Did she really believe that? He couldn’t see her eyes, obviously, but she seemed like she bought that.

“Anyway.....did you hurt yourself?” He asked her, straightening up and helping her balance herself a bit more. “Can you move your arms around?” Bodyguard mode was kicking in hard. That wave of protective instinct was taking over again. He let it. Not a chance in hell she could do anything that could hurt him. 

She was so tiny.

Tora watched her shrug her shoulders and bend her arms at the elbows a couple times.

“I guess.” She said, flapping her arms loosely. He turned her to face him again, unsure if her wobbly stance was due to injury or just being off balance from not being able to see. He put both hands on either side of her head and cradled it gently, fingers probing carefully. He didn’t feel any bumps. 

She was silent, breathing softly and then asked: “what kind of celebrity are you?” Her voice was unsure. 

“It’s none of your business.” He answered shortly. “Any pain when you turn your head like this?” He asked, using his hands to turn her head first right then left very slowly.

“Nope. So I’m guessing you’re a singer?” She replied, suddenly confident. Tora stopped, confused.

“A what? Why would you guess that?”

“Because you’ve got a nice, husky voice.” She answered quickly, her mouth forming a huge smile. 

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

His mind blanked for the space of three solid heartbeats.

He knew because he counted each one.

“I’ve got a...?” He muttered back. Is she daft? Who the hell says these things to a stranger? Did she....mean that? She liked his voice?

Why was that single answer making him want to smile? He felt the sides of his mouth tugging upwards in a grin and stopped. 

Tora straightened his back and stood tall, twisting his neck just a bit, feeling for any tightness, trying to clear his mind. To get it working properly again. 

He wasn’t supposed to feel like this over some girl.

Except....

Well, she wasn’t just “some girl” now, was she?

“I play a bit of guitar.” He answered truthfully. “But I cant carry a tune to save my life.” Also, sorta true. “Sorry to disappoint you.” He winced as he encountered some soreness in his neck. Shit he might have sprained it. Well, could have been worse. “Guess you’re fine if you’re asking all these questions.” 

He glanced down at her, he could just barely see her flushed little cheeks. Damnit she was adorable! He didn’t use the word adorable too often but it fit her. 

“That was quite a fall. So go see a doctor if somethin’ feels off...”

“WAIT! Are you leaving me now?” She asked, her voice panicked. She was fumbling at the hoodie’s ties again. “You need to untie this knot for me!”

“Ah!” He didn’t quite forget, but now his body grew tense again. Planning a quick escape from her view. He glanced around and spotted a store front behind her and a alley next to it with a broken light. Shadows.

Perfect.

He carefully maneuvered her and gently took her impossibly small hands in his own. He placed her finger into the loop on the hoodie and took a half moment to hold her cold hands in his own. Vaguely he wondered if the adrenaline in her body was wearing off. 

“Just hold it this way....” he told her, measuring his voice carefully. “And pull firmly. Got it?”

“Mm’kay.” She answered. Tora stared at her lips. The waves of chocolate hair that were loose coming from the hoodie. He caught her scent. A sweet floral smell. It reminded him of a time in his life he had very few memories of. Very old memories. The time before Vincent. Before he was a attack dog for the Balthuman clan.

He leaned foreword, closing the space between them, her scent mixed with his own still lingering on his hoodie.

Fuck. That did something to him. Intoxicating in a way he’d never felt. He inhaled sharply, his face was inches from hers and he felt her hands clench in his own just a fraction. 

Was she afraid? 

Tora stopped. And pulled away quickly. What was he thinking? Well, he knew what he was thinking....but....no.

Her lips trembled. 

Fuck.

He stood straight, and pushed his body into obedience and with concentrated effort flung himself away from her, running past her just as her hands wretched down on the ties.

He used the grass to his advantage, it muffled his footfalls and he forced himself to be silent as he aimed for the darkened alley way, and glanced over his shoulder as she was peering around. He paused, safe in the shadows. Her back was to him, she hadn’t heard his exit path.

Her hair fluttered loose, and she stood alone. A small, uncertain figure in the night. He watched her closely, taking in slow deep breaths. Fuck, he needed to practice sprints again.

As he watched she turned twice, looking around, nervous. Then she stopped and raised her hands to her face, the unmistakable gesture of someone crying. 

Fuck. 

He felt awful. She was probably scared. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to go offer to walk her home. To make sure she was safe. But no. 

She was still a unknown. He had to wait and see what part she had to play in this whole mess. She had the notebook, after all.....

The notebook!

The fucking notebook!!

FUCK!

He watched her as she bent down by the tree and picked up the brown satchel he had seen her carrying away with her in Moon Bright.

FUCK!

Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

Fuck.

Fuck his entire life. The fucking notebook HAD BEEN RIGHT THERE THE ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!

He growled to himself, fighting the urge to run after her and snatch the satchel out of her hands. Tora watched as she stumbled a few steps and stopped, then quickly wiped her eyes. He frowned, now deeply unsure if she would be safe....

Was he going to need to follow her all the way home like some asshole stalker? It would give him a location to check for the notebook....

But that thought was dashed too, as few moments later she waved her hand frantically, hailing a cab. The driver stopped and she slipped into the back seat. No, he wouldn’t go sprinting after a fucking car. Not a chance in hell would he do that.

Instead he watched the cab merge into traffic and disappear down the street. He’d see her again eventually. Gyu had never failed him before.

One way or another, he would find himself near her. Tora frowned, pushing away from the alley wall, and stepping back into the neon light from the storefront sign. Where the fuck had he dropped his food? Not that he wanted it now, but spotting the plastic bag smashed in the street made him frown.

For fucks sake. 

He was so damn hungry right now.

With an annoyed growl he closed his eyes.

Her face swam to the surface of his thoughts, crystal clear.

She looked like a goddamned angel.

Tora sighed, opening his eyes. 

He had to get the notebook.

He would see her again.


End file.
